The Joint Oireachtas Committee published its Report on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, on Wednesday 20th December 2017. The Committeeâ?Ts Report reflected the majority position of its membership with dissenting positions and voting records set out on Appendix 4 of the Committeeâ?Ts Report.

On the 29th of January 2018, the Government approved the holding of a referendum on Article 40.3.3 before the end of May 2018, subject to the timely passage of a Constitutional Amendment Bill on the matter by the Houses of the Oireachtas.

It will be a matter for the Irish people to consider and determine by way of Referendum whether or not to amend the Constitution. This paper outlines policies which the Government decided it would seek to give effect to in a General Scheme of a Bill regulating termination of pregnancy in Ireland should the proposed referendum be passed. The policies outlined in this paper would only be relevant in the event that the proposed referendum on Article 40.3.3 is passed.

In order to transform these polices into a General Scheme, these policies will require further scrutiny, refinement and definition taking account of legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General.

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There is a fundamental shift across Europe towards making research more transparent, collaborative, accessible and efficient. Ireland already has a strong research reputation with a proven track record of collaborating and competing successfully in Europe and beyond. We recognise the importance of collaborating at a national level also to better support research and researchers in the key areas of open access publications, FAIR research data, infrastructure, skills and competencies, and incentives and rewards.

Open research requires system-thinking and a change in research culture and behaviour. The National Open Research Forum (NORF) is leading a critical and informed approach to framing open research in Ireland. It is a great example of how collaborative working at a national level can help to reach agreement on difficult choices which support our common purpose of delivering excellence, talent and impact across the Irish research system

Commercial foods for infants and young children in the WHO European Region (2019)

A study of the availability, composition and marketing of baby foods in four European countries

In order to help Member States understand what commercial foods for infants and young children are currently on the market, and to support implementation of the Guidance on ending inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children at the European level, the WHO Regional Office for Europe developed a methodology for identifying commercial baby foods available in retail settings and collecting data on their nutritional content, as well as various aspects of their packaging, labelling and promotion. This publication describes the findings from a study conducted in four countries of the WHO European region based on this methodology.

New research reveals households on low incomes need to spend up to 1/3 of take home income to afford a healthy food basket

Research highlights challenges facing low-income households in balancing the expense of a basic, acceptable and nutritious food basket while meeting other weekly household expenses.

New research by safefood has revealed some families on low income need to spend up to one third (33%) of their take home income to afford a basic food basket that is acceptable and meets nutritional needs. In general, households on a low-income tend to eat less well, have poorer health outcomes with higher levels of excess weight and its complications.

A CONSULTATION report on developing a Healthy Workplace Framework has been published by the Department of Health (ROI).

The report was prepared for the Department of Health by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH).

IPH facilitated the online consultation and hosted events in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Sligo which invited stakeholders to share their views and experience on creating a healthy workplace.

The consultation report will now be considered by the Department to inform the development of the Healthy Workplace Framework, which is expected to be published later in 2019.

The aim of the Framework is to recognise and enhance existing initiatives, to facilitate the sharing of experience and learning, and also provide the necessary supports and tools for organisations or companies who haven’t yet developed their own resources.

The Framework sits under Healthy Ireland and is intended to provide a supportive, flexible, evidence-based structure that can be applied across all workplaces in Ireland regardless of their sector or size.

IPH is continuing to support the Department with this important Framework in the areas of policy design, implementation and monitoring

A report prepared for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH)

The report was commissioned to support the Department of Health in Northern Ireland’s drug and alcohol strategy review.

IPH’s Director of Policy Helen McAvoy said: “Drug and alcohol-related harms continue to escalate across the island of Ireland and the UK. These harms threaten the wellbeing of individuals as well as their families and communities, particularly those living in social disadvantage."

Findings from the review were presented at the European Alcohol Policy Conference held in Edinburgh in 2018

Plan S Briefing Session

The National Open Research Forum (NORF) in conjunction with the Royal Irish Academy, will host a meeting on Tuesday 22 January 2018 about Plan S - an EU wide initiative to make open access publishing a reality.

The session will raise awareness of Science Europe’s “Plan S” and its implications for Irish researchers seeking European Union funding post 1 January 2020. It will brief the research community on the work of the National Open Research Forum and IReL in positioning Ireland to engage with open research and the open access agenda. It will also invite researchers’ views to inform the development of Ireland’s national response to the Plan S consultation, and to inform next steps nationally.

Speakers:

Dr. Gemma Irvine, Head of Policy and Strategic Planning, HEA, will chair this event and give an overview of the issues at hand.

Cathal McCauley, Maynooth University, will discuss IReL and the need for change in scholarly publishing.

Dr. Patricia Clarke, HRB, will give the national policy context for the introduction of Plan S and the options being considered.

Marion Boland, SFI, will outline the benefits of engaging with Plan S.

Prof. Luke Drury, MRIA, will discuss the ALLEA (All European Academies) response to Plan S and perspectives of the European research community.

Spaces are limited so please email policy@ria.ie now to reserve your place at this session.

A new website for parents, containing information and advice on pregnancy and the first 3 years of your child’s life. The site was created after research with parents and parents-to-be across Ireland.

Your guide to pregnancy, baby and toddler health

Trusted information from experts

Health services and support

Designed for parents, by parents

Over 4,000 parents took part in an online public survey - 20% of them were expecting a baby. Face-to-face research was also carried out. These parents included those at different stages of pregnancy and parenthood.

A NEW report on tackling childhood obesity has been published by the Joint Oireachtas Children and Youth Affairs Committee.

The report contains over twenty recommendations that relate to a whole systems approach (Recommendation 1) that will help schools, communities and families make healthier choices for young people. These cover:

Addressing socio-economic inequalities

Promoting sports and physical activity

Specific school–based initiatives

Amendments to regulations in respect to advertising and marketing in broadcast and non-broadcast media

Increased support for breastfeeding in Ireland

Research and measures to protect children and young people against potential links between obesity, mental health and portrayal af body image in social and traditional media